Ohio faces nationally ranked Tennessee among others in weekend tournament.
Ohio softball will look to improve on a successful 2014 season when it travel to Georgia to participate in the Kennesaw State Tournament this weekend.
Ohio finished last season with an overall record of 32-26 and 12-8 in the MAC East division. The Bobcats were also crowned MAC Champions for the first time in 19 years.
If Ohio wants to achieve first place is the MAC East and become MAC champions again, which the league’s coaches are predicting, it will want to begin with a victory against a nationally ranked team.
Starting off the tournament, Ohio will play No. 13 Tennessee in their first game of a Friday doubleheader. Tennessee represents Ohio’s most competitive match of the weekend.
A player the Bobcats need to try to contain is Volunteer sophomore Annie Aldrete. She is an offensive threat and put up a .361 batting average and hit 19 home runs last year. After a strong freshman campaign, Aldrete made her way to USA Softball’s Top 50 Watch list for 2015.
Ohio will finish the first day against the hosting team, Kennesaw State.
Although the Owls finished with a losing record last year, Kennesaw State had previous success with winning seasons from 2011-14.
On Saturday, Ohio plays Tennessee Tech in a midday match-up.
This could be viewed as revenge game for some as the Bobcats fell to the Golden Eagles 6-5 for its first lost of the season last year after winning seven straight.
The Bobcats’ busy weekend will come to an end Sunday with a game against Northern Kentucky.
The Norse did not play the Bobcats last year, but Ohio had a 1-2 record against its conference, the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Striving for success once again, Ohio needs to see production out of junior pitcher Savannah Jo Dorsey.
Dorsey had a strong 2014 season, posting a 2.37 earned run average with 25 wins and 18 losses. She also helped for the offensive side with six home runs and 24 runs batted in. Dorsey thrived in the MAC Tournament with a near-perfect 0.21 ERA in four starts.
Offensively, junior shortstop Amanda Dalton could help out her team with repeating her performance from last season.
Starting in all 58 games, Dalton led the Bobcats in batting average with .318 and hits with 55. If Dalton can utilize her ability to get on base, then Ohio should have an easier time scoring runs and getting out in front.
The first tournament of the season has fared well for the Bobcats in the last four years. Only two times during did they lose a single game during that span.
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